This invention relates to toothbrushes and, more specifically, to disposable toothbrushes.
On many occasions when a person is away from home, it may be desirable for that person to brush his teeth after ingesting food. For example, a traveller may wish to do so after a meal on an airplane to feel more at ease when talking to fellow travellers, etc., and to maintain good dental hygiene while travelling. A person may prefer to brush his teeth after dinner before continuing on a date or attending a meeting. Parents may desire that their children brush after every meal even when away from home in order for the children to acquire good dental hygiene habits.
In each of the foregoing examples, a person could carry his toothbrush with him. However, that is usually inconvenient for many reasons including the fact that a tube of toothpaste would also normally have to be transported with the toothbrush and because return of a wet toothbrush to pocket or purse after use is undesirable. To overcome the toothpaste problems, a toothbrush has been marketed in the form of a pen including a clip for attachment to a pocket and a cartridge containing toothpaste. Although such units constitute an improvement, they are bulky, they present a hygiene problem when returned to a pocket in a wet condition after use, they are inconvenient for children to carry, and if lost by children, they are relatively costly to replace.
Thus, there is a present and continuing need for a small, inexpensive portable toothbrush.